Here's How to Buy the Best Used EV

WIRED

20 hours ago

Right now is the best time yet to bag a bargain secondhand electric car. But how do you test battery health? Or charging ability? Here's WIRED's expert tips on how to get it done properly. Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff, Getty Images, Tesla, Ford
Haven't you heard?! If you're at all interested in going electric, a recipe of US tax policy changes plus recent progress in vehicle and battery tech means the perfect time to buy a used electric vehicle is, well, now. Really: A $4,000 used EV tax credit for qualified buyers expires at the end of September, which means you'll be competing with other electric bargain hunters for the next few weeks.
The question, of course, is how. Electric vehicles have some crucial differences from their gas-powered cousins, which means there are a few tricks to picking out whatever is the opposite of a lemon. WIRED spoke to car-buying experts about what to look out for when you go hunting. Kick the Tires on the Battery
You're going to want to start with the battery. This is the most foreign part of the electric vehicle for those making the transition from gas, and it can cost between $5,000 to $16,000 to replace—expensive! Make sure it works, and that its range suits your needs. (Will it easily cover your regular commute, say, both there and back?)
There are a few ways to do this. The first step is to get online and do some research. Most car sales websites have battery health predictors, which use real-world battery health data from similar vehicles to predict an EV's estimated range versus what it was when the car was new. 'Cars degrade differently from brand to brand,' says Sean Tucker, the lead editor for Kelley Blue Book. So plug in a specific make and model, and see if the baseline works for you.
Then, test out the vehicle's battery. One unfortunate part of buying a used EV is that it can be really hard to find mechanics with the right tools to diagnose a specific car's battery health. But there is a proxy, and that's a test drive.
Jon Witt, a battery scientist at the EV data firm Recurrent, recommends taking a picture of the dash to capture the car's range estimate, the outside temperature, the odometer and the efficiency. These numbers can get wonky when a car's been sitting idle for a while. 'Drive the car like you normally would,' Witt advises—a bit on the highway, a bit on the streets—and see if those numbers look more reasonable afterwards. Keep in mind that range can fluctuate up to 30 percent based on outside temperature, how your drive, and how quickly you were moving during the trip.
That said, signs of battery trouble should be pretty obvious after a drive. Did the vehicle say it had 200 miles of range, but then just 100 miles after a five-minute drive? Red flag.
EV batteries used to really scare secondhand buyers, but recent data shows that they're lasting even longer than automakers expected them to. Ideally, you'll be looking at 90 to 97 percent of the vehicle's original range, says Liz Najman, the director of market insights at Recurrent. Test the Charging
Another way to test the battery is to see how it charges. First, establish what kind of connector the car has. In the US, you'll typically see three: The increasingly out-of-date CHAdeMO connector, mostly found these days on older Nissan Leafs; the Combined Charging System or CCS connector; and the North American Charging Standard Connector, or NACS, which was piloted by Tesla and is increasingly being adopted by other automakers. Find a charger, either at the dealership or out in the world, and make sure it connects.
Then make sure that the charging time roughly lines up with what's expected. Automakers post their vehicles' charging speeds online—here's an example for the Hyundai Ioniq 5. (Keep an eye out for the 10 to 80 percent battery charging time speeds, which tends to be the industry standard.) Plug the car into a 'level 2' charger, and also, if you can access one, a fast charger. If the car charges way slower than advertised, something may be up with the battery.
Keep in mind, too, that your charging preferences should also guide the kind of car you buy. Some charge much faster than others. You should be especially mindful of charging times if you don't plan to charge at home and will instead rely on a public charger, says Joseph Yoon, a consumer insights analyst at Edmunds. In that case, more kilowatts per hour is going to be better.
If the vehicle comes with a 120-volt charging cord—the kind that plugs into a standard outlet—check that out too. (NB: Cars plugged into this kind of 'level 1' charging will charge very slowly.)
Finally, a note on adapters: Many automakers now offer NACS adapters, which allow their vehicles access to the Tesla Supercharger network, one of the densest and most well maintained in the world. If you're interested in Superchargers, see if the vehicle comes with an adapter, or ponder if you can buy one from the automaker or from a third-party seller. Check the Warranty
Another bit of research worth doing will focus on the battery warranty. 'Batteries are often warranted separately from the rest of the car,' says Tucker, the Kelley Blue Book lead. They can also have tricky rules. Find the car's VIN number and call the automaker that built it to make sure that the battery warranty transfers to a new owner.
And, of course, make sure the battery warranty still applies. In the US, warranties typically last for eight years or 100,000 miles. Test Drive Everything
Electrics tend to be more tech-y, which means they 'have lots of bells and whistles,' says Najman, from Recurrent. Test them all out. Many have different modes for driving, including eco mode, sports mode, and snow mode. Some let you change the intensity of the regenerative braking, which helps charge the car's battery on the fly, but also can take some getting used to.
Make sure Android Auto or Apple CarPlay work. Plug something into all the USB ports and make sure they work. Some EVs come with a handy 'vehicle to load' capability, which allows you to charge devices—construction equipment, a vacuum cleaner, camp stove, even a house—out of the car. Try that, even if its simply by trying to charge up your phone. Mind the Weather
Be cognizant of where you live, because different EVs function better in different environments. If you're going to be driving a lot in a place that's hot, think carefully about Nissan Leafs, whose batteries don't have active thermal management to help keep their batteries cool. Do look into LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries, which are more stable under heat stress. If you're going to be driving where it's cold, think about getting a car with a heat pump, which makes more efficient use of the car's heating system. Kick the Tires on the Tires
Keep in mind, too, that EVs have their little quirks. Because EV batteries are so heavy, EVs tend to wear down tires faster, so ask the dealer if they've switched the tires recently, and check the treads. Also keep in mind that many tire manufacturers now produce EV-specific models that are made with the weights and different driving dynamics of electric cars in mind. Mileage Matters
Another thing to keep in mind: EVs simply have fewer moving parts than gas-powered cars, which means fewer things rubbing and grinding and crumbling away. This means that mileage doesn't quite mean what it does in the ICE world. 'You don't have to be put off by a high-mileage used EV,' says Najman. Instead, focus on the age and condition of the battery. Check for Incentives
Finally, once you've determined that you love your new, used EV and want to take it home, keep in mind that there are incentives around. In the US, a $4,000 federal tax credit was nixed by the Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill, but it still applies to vehicles driven off the lot before September 30. The UK also has its own initiatives for secondhand EVs.
Many states, cities, and utility companies also have their own incentive programs, so look around to see what applies in your area. Many also have programs that help new EV owners put chargers in their garages, driveways, or even apartment complex lots—take advantage of those too.